Lekki massacre was only on social media —Lai Mohammed

Nigeria’s Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed, says no single Nigerian was killed at the Lekki Toll Gate when soldiers shot at the protesters who were demonstrating against the excesses of police under the aegis of #EndSARS.

Mohammed, who led a delegation of the Federal Government to the South East to meet with leaders of the region on Saturday, November 7, said the so called massacre was mere fake news only propagated on social media meant to discredit the government.

While addressing his audience which comprised of the Enugu State governor, traditional and religious leaders at the Enugu Government House, Mohammed said that investigations has revealed that no protester was killed at the Toll Gate.

Mohammed said:

“There was no massacre at the Lekki Toll Gate. The only massacre that took place during the EndSARS protest was the social media massacre.

READ ALSO: Why we must regulate social media in Nigeria —Lai Mohammed

“Fake news was used; they used social media to spread what did not happen, which led to reprisals.”

Mohammed restated the FG’s stand that social media must be regulated, stressing “the Federal Government had warned about fake news as far back as 2017; we launched a national campaign against fake news because we foresaw this. Fake news kills more than any pandemic.

“There must be social media regulation. But social media regulation does not mean stifling the media, it does not mean shutting down the social media, it means responsive use of the social media. Fake news can shake the cause of the world.”

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